1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a container for the shipment of goods and, more particularly, to a corrugated shipping container which is especially adapted for the shipment of goods contained in lidded, chimed cans made of paperboard.
2. Description of the State of the Art
The chime of a can is the protruding rim or edge which circumscribes either the top or bottom surface of a can, or occassionally both such surfaces. In many instances a plastic lid is applied to the top of a chimed can in order to facilitate reclosure of the can after it has been opened, for example, a coffee can. When lidded, chimed cans are packed for shipment in flat-bottomed shipping containers, the lids of adjacent cans abut each other, but the can bodies do not touch. Accordingly, if the shipping container's bottom wall sags under the weight of the load, or if the shipping container is tilted or dropped on edge during transit or handling, which invariably occurs, the lid of one can will move horizontally and drop beneath the level of the lid of the adjacent can causing contact between the lid and the can body resulting in a dent to the body of the adjacent can. A cost-effective solution to this problem, which is referred to in the packaging art as "chime ride", has proven extremely elusive.
One solution has been to insert corrugated partitions in the container to isolate each can in the array to avoid denting contact. This solution is far from satisfactory, however, since it is both cost- and labor-intensive.
The need to find a more cost-effective solution, and which is also less labor-intensive, has been accentuated with the advent of lighter weight materials, such as paperboard, being used in the manufacture of cans since the risk of damage to a paperboard can body due to "chime ride", to the point where it is unsuitable for sale, is greater than with a metal can. The problem is particularly acute with resealable cans made of paperboard, which are sealed with a breakable membrane and a reuseable overcap or lid. In this type of can, a relatively small dent will result in the inner seal being broken, thereby causing contamination of the product, which may be foodstuffs, or possibly escape or loss of product from the can. The use of lids or overcaps with large paperboard curled chimes has contributed markedly to the likelihood of such denting occuring because of the relatively larger diameter of such lids.